This is a discussion on The ongoing install of my Parrot Asteroid Smart within the Electronics/Car Audio forums, part of the Interior Mods category; So I figured I would start posting my work in progress as I am starting to install the Parrot Asteroid ...

The ongoing install of my Parrot Asteroid Smart

So I figured I would start posting my work in progress as I am starting to install the Parrot Asteroid Smart that I picked up recently. I now have everything except the backup camera. So far I have test mounted the new headunit and routed the GPS antenna and new Bluetooth microphone. I still have the remove the center console as I want to remove the old USB/aux and run new cables to maintain a clean/stock look. After I do that I will wire everything up and mount it. Here is what I have so far.

TEST MOUNTING NEW RADIO WITH STOCK BRACKETS
I wanted to make sure the stock brackets would work on the Parrot. The screws that come with the Parrot are actually longer than the stock ones, and since they are made to work with the Parrot I am going to use those.

DASH TAKEN APART TO ROUTE CABLES
I found it very helpful to use something flexible and tape the cable to it as I routed the cable through. I actually used a cat toy that was broken, as it was a flexible wand that worked perfectly.

GPS ANTENNA INSTALLED
I thought about putting the antenna under the dash (as I know many people have), but I just didn't want to take the chance of getting a bad signal, and I feel the final look still feels clean. Cable was routed the same way as the bluetooth cable, and double sided tape used to keep the antenna in place.

BLUETOOTH MICROPHONE INSTALLED
Routing the wire through the headliner is very easy, as nothing has to be removed. There is enough room where you can just push the wire underneath. I may throw some foam or something up there just to make sure the cable doesn't move around or come out from the headliner, but so far its been fine. The wire then goes through the A Pillar (which is removed with one bolt).

The biggest pain that I ran into was removing the stock stereo. There isn't much room to disconnect the cables and be VERY careful when removing the stereo screws that hold it in place. I ended up dropping two of the screws, and while I was able to recover them it was a huge pain. The rest of the panels are pretty easy to remove, and once you do it the process is sped up if you have to do it another time. If you are routing cables from the drivers side its best to remove the entire gauge cluster section (2 screws), the A pillar cover (1 screw) and also the side dash piece (only visible if you open the door). It also helps if you remove the two vent ducts (just under the radio; removed with 2 screws), as it gives you more room to work with. As I continue on with the install I will post more. Next up will be the modification of the USB/Aux inputs.

Since the stock iPod/Aux connections wouldn't work with my new stereo I went through the trouble of routing new connections to be used. I used a blank "plate" so I could drill new holes to mount the USB/Aux cables. The USB used a 3/4 inch drill bit and the AUX was just a shade over 1/4 inch. Now that I have all of the accessories ready to go I just have to wait for my May 18th appointment to install the radio and backup camera. With the UNIKA steering wheel controller and not being 100% confident in the wiring I figured I would leave it to the professionals. I will post a mini review and more pictures when its complete.

Well I finally got my Parrot Asteroid Smart installed over the weekend. For the most part I love this unit. I would say my only complaint is the Navigation software, iGo. I will definitely be looking for an alternative GPS app in the coming weeks. Also, for anyone else attempting this install I found some useful information over at Nasioc. Someone had gone through the install and found that the instructions for the UNIKA (the steering wheel controls for Parrot) were in fact wrong. I give full credit of this to deanesn over at Nasioc. Here is a image that shows the correct wiring for the UNIKA for 2011 WRX and up.

There is a full writeup over at Nasioc for anyone interested. Also here are a few pictures of my stereo and backup camera.

Cool install. So what's the big deal about the Parrot over anything else? Just wondering from a user stand point!

I guess the "big deal" is that its essentially a phone/tablet. You can add apps to it to expand its uses. It was also a lot cheaper when compared to a few other units I was looking at. This unit doesn't have a DVD/CD slot, Sirius, or HD Radio, but they weren't options I cared about. I was able to use my built up credit I had been saving on Amazon and didn't pay a single cent for this unit.

As far as the Nav goes, if it's directly linked to your phone, why can't you use Google Maps as the Nav?

Technically you can root the device and add the Google Play store (which has Google maps), but I am a little worried about the process and I also don't have unlimited data on my phone. So for this reason I am only considering Navigation apps that can be used "offline". I am going to use Sygic and see how that works out.

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